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Is Kickstarter a shopping site? Not quite

By Dave Taylor

For the Camera

Posted:
08/27/2016 08:00:08 AM MDT

Dave Taylor For the Camera

Q: I saw a really interesting new type of computer bag on Facebook but when I clicked to learn more I ended up on a site called Kickstarter, not an online store? What is Kickstarter and is it safe to buy things through the site?

A: Kickstarter is more than on online site, it's really more of a phenomenon in both how companies are funded and how future products are sold. It's what's known as a "crowdfunding site" and the basic idea is quite simple. To understand, let's look at a typical product development lifecycle.

A classic product development cycle, particularly for an inventor, involves the designer spending all the money up front for prototypes, components and factory runs, never knowing if their product will be purchased in the open market. And these products can be a movie, a book, or even a computer bag.

Kickstarter turns that on its head, because now the inventors and designers can pre-sell their as-yet undeveloped product. The advantage to the consumer (or "Kickstarter supporter", as they say) is that they help innovation move forward and get cool stuff faster than waiting for things to show up in the more traditional retail channels. The advantage to the inventor and designer is that they mitigate the risk otherwise inherent in making a product without knowing if it'll be purchased.

I've funded a lot of Kickstarter board games, for example, helping ensure that innovative new games keep entering the market. And I have quite a unique collection of games now too. And smart people have used Kickstarter for all sorts of projects, even funding the refurbishing of old buildings and helping pay for the cost of opening restaurants in new markets.

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There is a downside, however: unlike purchasing a product at Peppercorn or Target, funding a Kickstarter campaign does have risk associated with it. The risk? That the creator won't actually be able to deliver what they've promised. You accept that risk when you pay $20, $200 or even $600 or more to a Kickstarter campaign.

That's why savvy Kickstarter people carefully vet a project, look at the track record of the people behind it, and assess their willingness to possibly lose all their investment before they decide to become a supporter.

I'm a huge fan of Kickstarter, so I encourage you to check out the site and look at all the amazing innovation in such a wide swath of our world, from TV series to t-shirts, experimental graphic novels to metal dice. Just be judicious with your investments and don't be surprised if the promised six-month delivery window drags out to a year or more. Or just never quite happens.

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Dave Taylor has been involved with the online world since before the creation of the Internet and runs the popular Ask Dave Taylor — http://www.askdavetaylor.com/ — tech review and how-to site. You can also find him on Twitter as @DaveTaylor.

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